In A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants #2, a moody teen raises hell and writes poetry, the Deviants come to the rescue, Ikaris steals the mic and Sersi spearheads a jailbreak. Written by Kieron Gillen, drawn by Guiu Vilanova, colored by Alex Guimarães and lettered by Travis Lanham.
Mark Turetsky: You know, sometimes I think back on my teenage years and wonder: Who was that kid who dyed his hair, wrote bad poetry, held terrible opinions? Surely some radical change must have happened between then and now, and yet … I can’t really put my finger on when those changes happened. Anyway, thank Zathras my life won’t be judged on who I was as an awkward teenager.
Karen Charm: If the Progenitor’s judgment is as subjective as I’m suspecting it may be, I do worry about my own chances. I may be burying my head in the sand of superhero comics in the meantime, but I can’t complain. There’s just something about today that has me feeling lighter, more carefree and joyful. Could it be that someone up there likes me?
Fight Them on the Beaches (And Look Awesome Doing It)
Mark: One great thing about a crossover is that it can give you interactions you wouldn’t get elsewhere. For example, I never knew I needed to see Kro and Emma Frost interacting, but now that it’s here, I can’t imagine a world without it. Not only does Kro offer to help Krakoa in order to stick it to the (bad) Eternals, he manages to charm Emma!
Karen: It’s a fun combination that continues the trend of Kro being the world’s greatest charmer (Eros who?), even if Emma seeming to fall for it tests my credulity. I do like how Vilanova draws Emma’s pixelated approval. We are just seeing the surface of what she wants us to — the Earth Machine doesn’t given any peek at what she may be thinking. Anyway, this catches us up to events we saw in A.X.E.: Judgment Day #3. We also get greater context, like the confirmation that the Deviants are just naturally able to pass through the gates thanks to their distant relation to mutantkind.
I’ve really loved Esad Ribić’s new costume for Kro, but the one thing that has troubled me is that the artist neglected to include Kro’s trademark sunglasses (as seen in his very first appearance, and not very much afterwards). As this scene was playing out, I thought to myself, “Gosh, another missed opportunity to draw Kro’s eyewear!” Fool me, since all I had to do was turn the page. Kieron Gillen, a master storyteller, knows all about withholding the fan service until the exact right moment, and that moment is now. As he’s about to send the Deviants to their assured death against the Hex, Kro
DROPS
THE
SHADES.
Mark: He basically tells the Hex, “deal with it.” It’s such a great moment that he and the rest of the Deviants rush in, knowing they’re entirely outmatched, but they can sympathize with the Krakoans. And the assembled troupe of Deviants includes the fan-favorite (Well, this fan at least) characters Reject and Karkas. Over in Immortal X-Men, we get a lot of different scenes of the Progenitor showing up as different characters to pronounce judgment. Here, Kro (and the rest of the Deviants) sees Arishem. We knew from Judgment Day #3 that he’d pass the test, but it’s pretty great to see it happen here. And, as you say, the Progenitor’s judgment is subjective. It doesn’t weigh what a person does, but the reasoning behind it, and one’s capacity for hope and change.
What’s really surprising is that the Progenitor judges all of the Deviants to be worthy. It’s a lovely moment. When the chips were down, the Deviants chose to help, despite it being nearly certain doom. It’s almost like this is the last step in Kirby’s plan, where the Deviants were introduced as the villains in his Eternals and over the course of his series that trope got subverted. Here, a superintelligent god declares that they all pass. And it’s beautiful.
Karen: This whole issue just felt like one sustained fist pump for me. The second, Deviant-focused arc of Eternals didn’t weigh quite the same as the first in terms of impact for me. I’m thinking now that story wasn’t actually over yet, and Gillen was just setting the stage for this. At the very least, it’s a satisfying mirror to the Second Host we saw last issue.
Gillen is also counterbalancing this scene with a quick cutaway to Olympia, where the (bad) Eternals are losing it. Druig is really sweating in his pre-judgment seat, whereas Uranos hasn’t found any fucks to give since last we saw him. Both are still under deliberation.
Mark: If only someone would tell Druig that all of the Deviants got the thumbs up, then he’d surely call off the war, right?
Right?
Karen: Not the Druig I know.
Imma Let You Finish
Mark: Back at Avengers Mountain (Are we still calling it that? [consults comic] I guess so!), we catch up with Ikaris, Phastos, Makkari and Ajak. The two high priestesses have constructed a dais to talk to their god and make their case (as if the Progenitor really needs such a thing!). Ajak grabs the dais to shout this comic’s refrain, “Death to the Eternals!”
Karen: It is pretty funny that all you need to talk to the Celestials is a special podium, but it’s kind of consistent with Kirby’s original depiction of Ajak (sort of). I’m here for it, as I am for Ikaris’ speech. What’s most interesting here is that the Progenitor is also intrigued, and will consider granting the request. Last month I’d mused about what “Death to the Eternals” might mean, and here we are. As this event carries on, it seems clear we’re going to have a major status quo shift for the Eternals at the end. I’ve also wondered if we’re going to carry on under a Deviants title. I’d quite enjoy that.
The judgments continue to roll, though nothing too shocking to me. How about you, Mark?
Mark: The three judgments the Progenitor gives to Ajak, Makkari and Phastos give some nice insight into the seeming black box of judgment. It rewards Phastos for trying to destroy it, because it admires his willingness to correct a mistake he’s made. It fails Makkari because she knows she’s made a mistake but hasn’t done anything to fix it. And it rewards Ajak for her faith in it. It’s also kinda great that it’s willing to explain its reasoning if you just ask it.
But the final moments of the scene, where the Progenitor directly confronts The Machine that is Earth, are truly chilling. On one level, it’s merely speaking to the narrator of this story, and of the whole Eternals series that led up to it. On another, weren’t you just saying last time that The Machine is just Kieron Gillen, telling the story? And finally, the Progenitor is staring directly at the reader. I can’t speak for anyone else, but having this god look at me and tell me I’m not doing enough to help, that I hide behind a false cheer, it’s really unsettling. And Gillen is no stranger to having characters address the reader directly to great effect (Especially relevant, I think, is the final page of Journey Into Mystery #645).
Karen: It does feel like an explicit declaration of what this crossover is all about, huh? We’re all on the hook. This is a pivotal scene in the event that’s unfortunately undermined slightly by some unclear lettering decisions. There’s the axiom that “lettering is good when you don’t even notice it,” but there are two moments when Lanham puts the Progenitor’s dialogue in balloon styles different from the coral-on-black we’ve come to recognize. At least I think it’s the Celestial who’s telling Ikaris he’s been lied to, and that calls out our narrator. It’s an uncharacteristic hiccup that may be easily fixed at some later point, but combined with some less-than-finished looking art from Vilanova, I get the impression the creative team is really rushing to get these issues out. I can’t imagine how much of a scheduling gauntlet an event of this scale would be, without considering the supply-chain related delays we’ve been plagued with. You hate to see it, but it really doesn’t detract from the many great things here.
Space Slut Cut Loose
Karen: Sersi isn’t waiting around for anything. She and Jack of Knives are on a mission to free the Avengers’ original influencer, a mission that begins in Jack’s Hall of Blades. Vilanova and Guimarães make this set look very cool, like we’re inside a very chic watch advertisement. Choosing the right tool is important for any task, and thankfully Jack has just the right “possibility-blade” for breaking into the Exclusion undetected.
Ever since the first issue of Eternals, we’ve theorized who “Excluded E” was. We not only find out that yes, it’s Eros aka Starfox aka Harry Styles aka the Thin White Duke, but also the reason for his exclusion. Turns out Thanos inhabiting his body that one time went on his permanent record and he’s been locked away to prevent a repeat ever since his most recent death (Cosmic Marvel heads will be more able to tell you when that was than I).
Mark: It was in Cates and Shaw’s Guardians of the Galaxy run. But since Thanos has been dealt with (presumably?), that’s probably no longer a factor in keeping Eros excluded. My guess is that Druig didn’t let him out because a) Druig doesn’t care, b) it never occurred to Druig and c) why would he let someone as charismatic as Eros out when he’s such a weak, unloved figure himself? What really gets me about this scene is that it offers a sliver of hope for the world. The Progenitor, in all its power and omniscience, still thinks Eros has a shot at saving everyone. Why else reserve judgment on Sui-San if there isn’t that chance?
Karen: Ooh, I like the idea of Druig making such a critical oversight that proves to be his undoing. Of course, the Starfox plan could blow up in our heroes’ faces just as easily. Zoe and I were very adamant in our calls of Justice for Sui-San, so I’m really pleased we may yet get to see it.
What’s yr take on Plath? I’m of course asking Syne the Memotaur, the most prominent member of the Hex, who we learn is something of a poetry enthusiast (not to mention the world’s best multitasker) in the mini story book-ending this issue. My first reaction was painful identification with our new human POV Sally’s unrealized zine-making plans (Did you have to drag me like this?). Second reaction was shock and then ambivalence over this characterization of Syne. It’s definitely unexpected. By the end of the issue, though, I think I’ve come around to it. Having Syne’s personality and identity be unrelated to her outward appearance is a really powerful detail, something I wish we saw more of. It’s also in line with why the Deviants are so interesting. Ultimately, I really appreciate Gillen queering the Hex like this.
It certainly casts her “Please don’t” in a different light.
Mark: Yeah, I was just thinking of that “please don’t” moment in light of this issue. It’s the first glimpse of her, dare I say it, humanity? But also utter naiveté, to ask for mercy while she’s vaporizing Krakoans by the score. Over in my discussion of Immortal X-Men with Austin, I brought up the ancient Greek concept of Eudaimonia in relation to the Progenitor’s judgment criteria. Its closest conceptual translation is “flourishing,” and I think that applies to Sally’s thumbs-down here. It doesn’t matter (or, it doesn’t just matter) that Sally is a good person, but that she’s felt a calling to put her art into the world and ignored it, or at least put it off. We go from being judged over genocide to zines, and everything in between.
Last Words
- If you’re reading this Kieron, Guiu — thank you
- I want a poster of this cover.
- Are we going to see the personalities of the other Hex?
- Kro using a Changing Deviant is an inspired touch.
- The explanation for the difference in reception between Eros and Thanos was pretty hand-wavy. I wonder if we’ll get a more in-depth exploration of it in the Starfox one-shot, in the style of the Thanos Rises one-shot.
Karen Charm is a cartoonist and mutant separatist, though they’ve been known to appreciate an Eternal or two.
